


How Quickly the Glamour Fades

by The_Shy_One



Series: Take What the Water Gave Me [3]
Category: Hellblazer, Spider-Gwen (Comics), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Magic, One Shot, Siren Matt Murdock, Spells & Enchantments, Summoning, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26003623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Shy_One/pseuds/The_Shy_One
Summary: John was summoned in the middle of the night by a siren named Matt Murderdock. I mean, Matt Murdock.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Series: Take What the Water Gave Me [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768021
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	How Quickly the Glamour Fades

John didn’t like being summoned out of his bed right as he was about to slip into sleep. He especially didn’t like standing near the water’s edge at what he assumed to be the middle of the night, where the cold winds swept across the water and curled itself around his body, his coat doing nothing to keep the biting cold away. As he shivered - pulling out a cigarette to light it up, hand shaking as he covered the flame -, John watched as a form emerged from the water, the siren’s smirk filled with teeth and blood as they pointed it towards him.

John had to sigh, wondering why Murdock of all siren’s wanted him during the middle of the night. He continues to stand, watching as the siren pulled himself out of the water, dragging his body over the sand to get closer to John. In the low moonlight, his red and black scales weakly gleamed and what usually would be vibrant red hair looked dull.

Smoke crawled out of his mouth as Murdock positioned himself in front of John. His blue eyes were blank, not staring anything particular. But John knew better than to assume that the siren didn’t have some kind of picture in his mind. There were rumours that the siren was accurate when he struck for the jugular, taking down opponents and allies alike if they crossed him.

And he could get away with it because of how beautiful he was. John knew if the siren was a human, he would have everyone swooning over him.

“Constantine,” The siren started, “I have something to ask of you.”

“Is it to sleep with the fishes?” John asked, flicking ash into the sand in front of him. The way that Murdock tilted his head, smirk tinted with amusement. “I’ll tell you mate, I’m not here if you want to eat me.”

“No, not here for a meal, unfortunately. I’m here for a spell.”

“A spell?”

“Yes, a spell. I went to you since you’re more likely to keep this secret than others who deal in magic.” Murdock explained, waving a hand. “I need you to do it tonight.”

“Why tonight?” Why tonight indeed. There was no special space stuff nor anything else that John could think of that would aid in giving spell the magic it needed. It was a rare night where nothing was going on, it was supposed to be calm.

Murdock took a moment to answer, shifting his head as he thought it over. John waited, figuring if he was going to give the siren a spell, he needed to hear out the reason why.

A sigh escaped the siren and he shifted his tail. “I need it to meet up with a human. He has...entered my life recently and opened up a door I didn’t think to be possible. He is the one for me.”

John widens his eyes at that, knowing what the siren was referring to. Sirens were a picky bunch of bastards when it came to finding a mate and spending the rest of their lives with that mate. Much less so if it happens to be human since sirens hunted humans for their pleasure.

Murdock was the prime example of this, keeping everyone as far away from him as he could. Despite being the equivalent of a mafia boss of the Hudson River, the siren didn’t have anyone that would be considered the wife. Er, well, husband.

Who was this man that got Murdock to want to change forms for them?

“You sure you want to do this, Murdock? The spell lasts only for a few days.” John explains, figuring out the ingredients he needed in his head. It was simple enough, something that was used by sirens and mermaids alike when they wanted to explore the land or find their mates to create a bond for a lifetime. 

What John wanted to know was that the siren knew what he wanted for sure. Love is blind and all that bullshit.

“I’m sure, Constantine. Now prepare the spell.” The tone was demanding, reminiscent of a creature used to giving orders around, not a creature who had found love.

John muttered as he pulled ingredients out of his trench coat. Once they were assembled, he went to make a circle around the siren and draw symbols in the sand near them. Murdock doesn’t move during this time, understanding that erasing whatever John was doing in the sand was important. 

The siren patiently waits as John starts mashing ingredients together, minutes passing them by while this happens. Then with care, John paints the mashed ingredients over Murdock’s skin and tail to give magic an area of what was to be temporarily changed.

John stands back and starts to chant the spell, keeping an eye of the siren to make sure nothing went wrong. It wasn’t anything flash or beautiful, it was a creature trading it’s form for another that wasn’t it’s own. Murdock took the pain of his body shifting much better than John expected, but he couldn’t hold back from letting some of it be known on his face.

There was sweat forming on the siren’s forehead and shoulders, giving him a glistening glow that if not for the pain on his face, would have been attributed to being pleasured. John continued to chant, words forming faster as they continued to be repeated. Murdock was close to becoming a temporary human, one that would seek their mate and hopefully keep a bond for the rest of Murdock’s life.

Finally, the siren had become a human. John didn’t offer a hand to Murdock, only watched as he tested out his new limbs with interest.

Murdock looked up at him, eyes still blank. But the muted joy on the siren’s face was enough for John to crack a smile. “Invite to the wedding lover boy.”

Murdock smirked, fully amused. “Would you stop smoking long enough to get through the vows, Constantine?”

John pretended to think over his answer, tilting his head every which way. “I think I could manage as long as I’m allowed to smoke afterwards at the reception.”

“A deal has been struck,” Murdock said jokingly - which John knew was a joke since there was the ting of magic that came with bargains or deals with creatures like sirens. “Would you please give me some clothes?”

“I’ll have something in here,” John says, reaching into his pocket. He had several outfits on him always since magic and dealing with the supernatural was always a messy business.

He gives a pair of trousers and a shirt with a tie to the siren and guides them on how to put it on. When all dressed, Murdock stands on shaky legs with a look of determination on his face. John stands back, watching as the siren started to walk to the mystery man.

John would need to do some research after the news of the engagement between them came out. Whoever could win Murdock’s heart like this was something else entirely.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea for a while since I started the Mermaid Matt back in Mermay. I even got excited when issues 7 and 8 of Hellblazer 2020 were centred around a mermaid and gave me a boost in doing this even more! However, with the recent news of Hellblazer ending at issue 8, I knew I had to do something to honour the comic series that I was following and falling in love with as each new issue came out. 
> 
> I am sad that this Hellblazer wasn't allowed to flourish as its predecessor in the '80s and '90s did, but I'm glad it was given enough issues to hook me in and even do a story around a mermaid. So I dedicate my 100th fic to this.


End file.
